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Anybody recognise this hospital? 1917

G

gonenorth

Guest
Hello Everyone,
My G Grandfather, Henry Smith, died of lung problems associated with his work as a glass cutter in Birmingham. This photo of him and other inmates was taken a few months before he died in 1917. Family lore says it is Birmingham Chest Hospital but I have never been able to find mention of any such place. Does anybody recognise or know where this photo was taken? Thanks.
 
re hospital 1917

Gonenorth.birmingham Chest Hospital Is In Great Charls St.i Just Had A Look, Chest Clinic Bham
PETER MARTIN
 
Glass Cutter or Glass Engraver ?

Gonenorth. I could be totally wrong but when I read your post I thought is it possible that he could have lung problems from his occupation as a glass cutter ? If it had been Glass Engraver it may have fitted better thats if they worked with acid.
 
Thanks GER2VAN,

He did decorative glass work involving cutting and etching. I think the acid and the glass dust killed him, sadly.
 
Re Hospital 1917

GONENORTH, dont know but it was there when i wasin brum,1999.a right old place ,i went there with my dad, there is a piccy of the front. on HEARTOFENGLAND NHS UK
 
Gonenorth, welcome to the forum, I am currently assembling a database of Birmingham Hospitals, and have not as yet come across a Birmingham Chest Hospital, there is however as pointed out a Birmingham Chest Clinic. This clinic, located in Great Charles Street appears to have been built during the 1930's, so would not have been built in the time scale you give, also the picture shows what appears to be grass in the foreground, I cannot be sure but would doubt if the city centre site would have had such a lawn.
I think it may have been taken at a sanatorium, a hospital where respiratory diseases would have been treated such as West Heath or Yardley Green. Do you have any address for Henry that may narrow down the area.

Colin
 
Re Chest Hospital

COLIN B, hello colin the chest hospital/clinic i went to had no grass just a few plants and weeds out side,it was op the libary in town. peter martin
 
Thanks for that information, Colin. My Mother's cousin has the original - I'm pretty sure it was a 'postcard' - the date was 19th May 1917. He died in November that year. Perhaps the postcard may have a postmark that might narrow the search - I will ask her this week. A Sanitorium sounds likely - I wonder if records of the two you mentioned survived?
 
Just a thought, how about Yardley Green Chest Hospital at the rear of (todays) Heartlands Hospital at Bordesley Green? It opened in the early 1900s as a sanatorium for those suffering with Consumption (TB) and progressed into a chest hospital. It could well have treated other chest sufferers.
 
Thanks Shaved Fish,

That sounds like just the place - I wonder where I might get some pictures of it so I could compare it to the one in the photo - although not much of the building can be seen the windows are quite distinctive. Is the place still standing? Thanks for the lead.
 
I had suggested Yardley Green in my first post, but 2 photos I have of the hospital dated 1915 & 1920, seem to suggest that at that time Yardley Road Sanatorium (later Yardley Green Chest Hospital ) was only a single storey building. I still think it would help if you could give an address, have you got, or applied for a death certificate, that might even solve the problem, by giving date and place of death.

Colin
 
Thanks for the ideas and for the listings from the directories. Henry ended up dying at home - Gravelly Rd, Erdington according to his death certificate, so unfortunately no leads there. It would be nice to be able to identify the place - I think it is a poignant picture that shows how the health of young men was damaged by their dangerous occupations - times were very hard.
 
Erdington, would have suggested The Jaffray Hospital as a possibility, it certainly would have been built at that time, it was an imposing Victorian built building, but again comparing photos the brickwork is different. Don't give up hope I'm still looking through loads of photos of Birmingham Hospitals.


Colin
 
It may well be Blackwell sanitorium, that belonged to Birmingham and later on it was a convalescent home I know as my Uncle was there for some time in the 50's when he contracted TB. Indeed there is a chest clinic in Gt Charles St but its nothing like that photo.
My second choice would have been Yardley Green Rd.
 
Building by Perry Barr Park.

:D There is a small building by the park. I was told when I was a child that it was used to isolate people with highly contageous illnesses?. :D Bye. Jean.
 
Anybody recognise this hospital

Jean, could the hospital you refer to be St. Margaret's, which I believe at one time was an isolation hospital, then a mental health unit. Can anyone confirm.
 
Jean, there was one by the Mayfaire picture house College road.
Cat
 
Smallpox Outbreak

THE ABOVE ISOLATION HOSPITAL WAS LAST USED IN 1955/56/57 WHEN WE LAST HAD AN OUTBREAK OF SMALLPOX. SORRY ABOUT THE CAPS.................Cat
 
Hi,
what hospital is this? I live in bromsgrove and i dont think i have heard of this hospital and its not there now. do you know where it was/is? im very interested to know. I f it is the hospital im thinking of, was it at the top of broad street on the stourbridge road?? If it was then that is where my moms house was built on top of. Lea park rise! please let me know.
thanks:)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The card shows Blackwell Convalescent Home also known as Blackwell Recovery Hospital it's address is shown as Station Road Blackwell, built 1866, closed in the 90's, I believe it has now been demolished.

Colin
 
Blackwell

Tis indeed Blackwell. In the late 1960's I had a holiday job on the groundstaff at Dudley Road. A blessed relief from planting out wall flowers was going out to cut the grass at Blackwell. Three of us travelled in the back of a Bedford Van with the unsecured open bladed mowing machines.

I remember thinking at the time it was a good job we working for a hospital!
 
My grandfather passed away of TB in the 1930s and he was taken to West Heath Hospital in his final months, the frontage looks very similar today, just as in the original image.
 
gonenorth said:
Thanks GER2VAN,

He did decorative glass work involving cutting and etching. I think the acid and the glass dust killed him, sadly.
Click to expand...
Sulphuric acid and Hydroflouric acid were both used for etching. The chemicals are used after glass cutting and create different effects:

Conc. Sulphuric + Conc. Hydrofluoric - used for polishing the cuts made in lead crystal.

Hydrofluoric - creates a matte effect, so high-quality frosted glass is created this way, but it can also be used for etching designs.

Either acid is extremely nasty, whether inhaled or exposed to skin:redface:
 
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